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Luwin Diaz becomes 1st foreign hitter in Samsung Lions' history to be named Player of the Month

Published: 13 Oct. 2025, 16:45

Samsung Lions first baseman Luwin Diaz celebrates after hitting a home run during a KBO game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Sept. 25. [NEWS1]

Samsung Lions first baseman Luwin Diaz has been named the KBO's Player of the Month for September and October, becoming the first foreign hitter in team history to win the monthly MVP honor.

The KBO confirmed on Monday that Diaz secured 30 out of 35 votes from media, or 85.7 percent, and received 286,323 out of 530,365 votes in the fan poll, or 54 percent. His combined score of 69.85 comfortably put him ahead of Austin Dean of the LG Twins, who finished second with 7.39 points.

Diaz, who joined the Lions in August last year, led nearly every major offensive category during the final two months of the 2025 regular season.

He ranked third in batting average at .412, tied for second in home runs with seven, tied for third in hits with 28 and led the league in RBIs with 27. He also topped the league in slugging percentage at .838 and tied for first in on-base percentage at .500.

He made history on Sept. 25 in Daegu against the Kiwoom Heroes by setting the KBO's single-season record for most RBIs. Just five days later, he hit his 50th home run of the season in a game against the Kia Tigers, becoming the sixth player in league history — and the first foreign hitter — to reach the 50-homer milestone.

Diaz ended the regular season as the league leader in three key offensive stats: 50 home runs, 158 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .518. He is the only player in KBO history to record both 50 home runs and 150 RBIs in a single season.

BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]